Kilimanjaro and Beyond

The February 24 Mountaineers meeting will feature a talk by Toni Taylor on Mount Kilimanjaro. She will describe climbing the 19,341-foot peak with her husband, Stuart Trugman, as part of a supported group in February 2025. Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa and the highest free-standing mountain above sea level in the world, at 5,895 m (19,341 ft) above sea level and 4,900 m (16,100 ft) above its plateau base. The nine-day journey via the Northern Circuit route traverses Kilimanjaro, enabling a less crowded experience and more time to enjoy the journey and its scenery and acclimate to the altitude. In addition to photos and a description of the route and climb, Toni will provide helpful tips for those considering climbing Kilimanjaro. Additionally, she will briefly describe their post-climb safari with photos of the amazing wildlife of the Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti national Park.

Toni Taylor lives in Los Alamos where she retired from Los Alamos National Laboratory. She enjoys hiking, climbing, mountaineering, canyoneering, cross country skiing, and backpacking. In addition to climbing Kilimanjaro, Toni has climbed high peaks in Wyoming, Mexico, Ecuador, Bolivia, Nepal, and the Centennial Peaks (highest 101) in Colorado. Toni has been involved with the leadership of the Los Alamos Mountaineers (LAM) for the past several years, including serving as Secretary, Vice-President, President, Past-President and most recently, as the coordinator for the LAM climbing school.

We welcome all to this Mountaineers’ meeting on the regular fourth Tuesday of the month. The social hour, with cookies, begins at 6:45 PM and the program at 7:00 PM. The presentation will be in-person at Los Alamos Nature Center; the slides will be live-streamed on Zoom. Registration is required to Zoom and recommended for in-person – we would love to see your smiling face. Registration details are available at https://peecla.app.neoncrm.com/np/clients/peecla/event.jsp?event=64475&.

Stuart heading to Crater Camp (18,000 ft) on Kilimanjaro.